http://www.ywamliverpool.co.uk/

 

 

This is a little painting I created for my friends who work for YWAM in Liverpool.

http://asbojesus.wordpress.com/page/5/

Leadership

Back in July I was lucky enough to travel to Switzerland for a 3-week YWAM-run leadership course called Slingshot. 

The avid note-taker that I am, I took a new notebook and unexpectedly, I nearly filled it.

A blog post won't do justice the amount that I learned. I'm not sure I've fully ingested it all yet. Not that it was a time for head-knowledge. Rather, it was a time of respite, for the healing of past hurts received from previous leadership that I had been under and of equipping me for the leadership I have been placed in.

The first thing that stood out to me was in the opening day. 

When asked what the most important characteristic of a leader was, founder of Youth With a Mission, Loren Cuningham said this: Self-control.

Huh. 

Not what I was expecting. 

Over the following 3 weeks however God revealed for me how important self-control really is. It affects every area of our lives as leaders: the self-control to resist monopolising a project; the ability to say 'No' to prideful ambition; our willingness to give up our ego and agenda. 

Ultimately our integrity is at stake when we lack self-control because we are so vulnerable to temptations associated with leadership: power, hedonism and money. 
Solomon was the wisest of kings and yet his heart was corrupted by all of these things and his value system was put into question.


We don't need to look far for modern examples of this either. 


Titus 1:5-9
Leaders must be blameless.
Not:
Overbearing, quick tempered, given to drunkenness, violent, persuing dishonest gain.
But must be:
Hospitable, love good, be self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 


Gulp.


These are sobering realities that are honestly difficult to stick to at all times. But I'm praying that God may equip me in these areas and also for the humility to be able to lay aside my pride and ask others to keep me accountable too. No, more than that: to actually be accountable.

What if starbucks marketed like a church...?

Start date + Friends leaving.

This is me and the January DTS who have just graduated their school. They fast became a lot of my favorite people and I'm going to miss them a lot!

 

These beautiful ladies are my good friends Lucie (r) and Megan (l). Megan joined staff at the same time as me and staffed on the January DTS. Her commitment is now up and has also left us to study in the homeland of Canada. Sad times for us but excited for her!

Start Date + Travels

These past few months have been a bit hectic and while I have just returned from a well earned holiday in Portugal I am writing this from another airport departure lounge.

This time I'm waiting to board a flight to Geneva to attend 'Slingshot', a 3 week training course aimed at young leaders. I'm excited to be going and to have the opportunity to learn from some amazing leaders who have gone before me, including Loren and Darlene Cunningham, the founders of Youth With a Mission. 

Behind me however I leave 2 newly arrived team members and one would question my leadership in this decision. Well, I feel that this course will equip me with better skills to be able to not only effectively lead this team but I also hope that it will impart knowledge to me that will be foundational for all my subsequent jobs.


Alright - I'd better rush and board my plane!

Fair trade Fashion

Previous to my work in YWAM I spent a summer working in India for VIA Design, a fair trade design company passionate about using textiles to champion the talents and rights of those in the majority world.

'Our vision is to empower people at the margins of society who have had few opportunities, via design'

 This is a powerful statement that resonates with me still and encourages me in the influence that the Art and Design world holds.

Although based in South India, the work of VIA Design partners with artisans across India as well as in the west. On a recent trip to Kolkata, Janet Rogers, VIA Design CEO worked for Freeset, a company the employs women and girls previously trapped in the Sex trade. 

'At Freeset we are about doing business differently. We believe business can make a huge difference in the lives of trafficked and vulnerable women and seek to employ as many as possible through sustainable businesses.'

Through her work with Freeset, Janet also learned of the work of Natasha Rufus Isaacs and Lavinia Brennan and their clothing line, Beulah.  Combining their love for fashion, and heart for social justice, Beulah is committed producing top quality fashion without compromising on ethical issues.

"The idea of creating a female fashion line came to us as we witnessed more and more women escaping shelter and needlessly returning to the streets, lured solely by the promise of money. We knew then that we had to build something that would give rescued women the opportunity to be involved in something worthwhile, in something that engaged their minds and talents, in something they could contribute to without restriction and with no shame.
"We'd heard about Freeset, the Fairtrade business that offers employment and salaries to women previously trapped in Kolkata's sex ring, and it seemed ideal to support it."- Source

Basically, I just love their stuff and their vision behind what they do. It encourages me to continually pursue high standards not only for myself and those around me but also those connected to me even by the threads that I wear.